Apr 26, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Phillies snapped their longest losing streak of the 21st century Saturday, but as the saying goes, momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher. And Aaron Nola got shelled in Sunday's series finale, as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Phillies 6-2 to win the weekend series between NL East foes.
Nola's latest ugly start drops the Phillies to 9-19 on the season, leading to fair speculation about what decisions might be made during tomorrow's off day. It's also increasingly difficult not to just resign yourself to this being the type of pitcher Nola is now.
After Chris Sale set the Phillies down in order in the top of the first, things got off to a ugly start for Nola in the bottom of the frame. Ronald Acuña Jr. greeted him by scalding a ball at Trea Turner, which probably should have been caught, but instead turned into a single. After a Drake Baldwin single, Matt Olson gave Atlanta an early 3-0 with a no-doubt-about-it-home run:
Olson's eighth homer of the season came off the bat at 105.4 mph. That was the softest of the first three balls put in play off Nola today. Acuña and Baldwin reached ahead of Olson w/ consecutive 109.4 mph singles. pic.twitter.com/z6XGu3PZ6w
The Braves continued to hit Nola hard in the second inning, with Mauricio Dubón hitting a ball to deep right-center field that Dylan Moore — starting in center field over a struggling Justin Crawford — nearly caught. Unfortunately for the Phillies, nearly catching the ball doesn't matter, and Dubón wound up with a triple. Eli White then brought him home on a two-run shot into the Phillies bullpen. Before the inning was out, the Braves added a sixth run on a Baldwin RBI single.
Dubón triple!@InvescoUS | #InvescoQQQ pic.twitter.com/tFhbHGu9M0
Nola ultimately gave the Phillies five innings Sunday, but allowed seven hits and six earned runs across those frames, while also striking out six and walking three.
A year ago, Nola had the worst season of his career, posting a 6.01 ERA after 17 starts. There was hope that as he entered this year healthy — and after a strong showing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic — that the former All-Star would have a bounce-back season in 2026. But after Sunday's shellacking, Nola's ERA on the season now sits at 6.03. He's allowed six homers through six starts. Right now, Nola feels like what Patrick Corbin was for much of his contract with the Washington Nationals, a pitcher that can give the Phillies decent length, but more often than not, the results won't be great.
As OnPattison's Grace Del Pizzo noted, the Phillies are paying Nola over $122 million between 2026 and 2030. This is the risk in betting on a pitcher deep into his 30s. It's also the risk of giving him a seven-year, $172 million to lower the average annual value that counts towards the luxury tax threshold when no one else was probably willing to go more than five or six seasons for Nola when he became a free agent ahead of his age-31 season.
Meanwhile, Sale struck out nine and allowed just one hit across six innings, earning him the 150th victory of his career. The nine-time All-Star has a 2.31 ERA over his six outings this season.
The Phillies did get on the board in the top of the eighth inning with a two-run homer by Kyle Schwarber off of Aaron Bummer, but it didn't prevent the team from losing their 19th game of the season, or the Braves from becoming the first club with 20 wins.
The Phillies are on the board.
It’s just their second hit all game. pic.twitter.com/9XU36epb4W
Monday will be an off day for the Phillies, before they return home to host the San Francisco Giants for three games beginning Tuesday.
